steady
Americanadjective
-
firmly placed or fixed; stable in position or equilibrium.
a steady ladder.
- Synonyms:
- firm
-
even or regular in movement.
the steady swing of the pendulum.
-
free from change, variation, or interruption; uniform; continuous.
a steady diet of meat and potatoes;
a steady wind.
- Synonyms:
- invariable
-
constant, regular, or habitual.
a steady job.
-
free from excitement or agitation; calm.
steady nerves.
-
unfaltering; firm.
a steady gaze;
a steady hand.
-
steadfast or unwavering; resolute.
a steady purpose.
-
settled, staid, or sober, as a person, habits, etc.
-
Nautical. (of a vessel) keeping nearly upright, as in a heavy sea.
interjection
-
(used to urge someone to calm down or be under control.)
-
Nautical. (a helm order to keep a vessel steady on its present heading.)
noun
-
Informal. a person whom one dates exclusively; sweetheart.
-
Informal. a steady visitor, customer, or the like; habitué.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adverb
-
in a firm or steady manner.
Hold the ladder steady.
-
Informal. steadily, regularly, or continuously.
Is she working steady now?
idioms
adjective
-
not able to be moved or disturbed easily; stable
-
free from fluctuation
the level stayed steady
-
not easily excited; imperturbable
-
staid; sober
-
regular; habitual
a steady drinker
-
continuous
a steady flow
-
nautical (of a vessel) keeping upright, as in heavy seas
verb
adverb
-
in a steady manner
-
informal to date one person regularly
noun
interjection
-
nautical an order to the helmsman to stay on a steady course
-
a warning to keep calm, be careful, etc
-
a command to get set to start, as in a race
ready, steady, go!
Synonym Usage
See steadfast.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
steadysimple
-
steadiessimple
-
have steadiedperfect
-
has steadiedperfect
-
am steadyingprogressive
-
are steadyingprogressive
-
is steadyingprogressive
-
have been steadyingperfect progressive
-
has been steadyingperfect progressive
Past
-
steadiedsimple
-
had steadiedperfect
-
was steadyingprogressive
-
were steadyingprogressive
-
had been steadyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of steady
First recorded in 1520–30; 1905–10 steady for def. 12; stead + -y 1
Explanation
The adjective steady describes something that is firmly fixed in position. If you have to climb up on your roof, you definitely want to have a steady ladder. Otherwise, you risk ending up in the bushes instead of on the roof. The adjective steady can also describe something that isn't going to fluctuate wildly. If you have a steady income from a salary, you bring in approximately the same amount of money each month. If you are paid on commission, on the other hand, you may make Midas look poor in some months and beggars look rich in others. As a verb, to steady means "to make something steady" (big surprise): You can steady a wobbly table by sticking a matchbook under its shortest leg, or you could steady a nervous dog with a reassuring pat.
Vocabulary lists containing steady
"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Purple Hibiscus
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Across a decade, that translates to almost 7,000 fewer births than if totals had remained steady.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
A steady weekend in an Alpine that never looked capable of challenging the leading midfield runners.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Most investors expect the Fed to hold rates steady at 3.50-3.75 percent for the fifth straight meeting, according to CME's FedWatch monitoring tool.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
That overseas revenue figure has been pretty steady over the last two decades, peaking in 2012 at 34%.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Daisy grabbed the back of the spring seat to steady herself and stood up in the wagon, too.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
In the foreground, the midwife, known from Byzantine tradition as Salome, meets Joseph’s eyes as she steadies the water he pours into the baby’s bathtub.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
The quiet, practiced awareness of how flavors talk to one another — the way lemon steadies cream or how a drizzle of honey can round off a salt edge.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2025
She steadies herself, with one hand grasping the back of an elaborate carved and upholstered chair at the left, while a tabletop clock at the rear on the opposite side ticks away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024
The ball is worked through to Aaron Collins, who steadies himself and unleashes a thunderbolt from 25 yards into the top corner.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2024
She also steadies me, because my knees buckle a little.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Apple has shown a steadier upward trajectory, driven by investor confidence that its dominant consumer position can solve most problems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
If one of your jobs offers steadier hours than the others, consider making it your financial foundation — and treating your remaining work as supplemental income.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
That could open the door for a rotation toward those with steadier cash flows, reasonable valuations, recognizable brands, and clear paths to margin recovery.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
U.S. output, which grew again in recent weeks with the opening of the Golden Pass LNG terminal on the Texas coast, has helped keep global prices much steadier than in 2022, despite the Hormuz closure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Ruth’s walk was much steadier now and when we came to the fence, and I held up the wire, she hardly hesitated.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Among lower-yielding currencies, the team sees CNY as the steadiest, KRW as the highest-beta currency, and SGD as a funder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
"My friends are the loves of my life and so it feels right to be championing platonic friendship that can be some of the strongest and steadiest love in your life," Hinds says.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2024
“His leaving was scary because he was just the steadiest person in my life,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
The payments for publishing these notices are among the steadiest sources of revenue left for local papers.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2023
The steadiest thing in Kelley’s life was their pets, and he decided early on he wanted to be a veterinarian.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
U.S. stock futures steadied in early European trade as Brent crude oil fell back below $100 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Yamamoto’s consistency has steadied the Dodgers’ rotation, while it’s had to navigate injuries to veteran starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and most recently Shohei Ohtani.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
However, no such slump arrived: Hiring steadied, unemployment barely moved, and the weakness officials feared faded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Captain Gaby Lewis fell cheaply in reply, but Amy Hunter steadied the chase with a stand of 62 with Prendergast.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
I locked my shoulders and elbows and hips into place and steadied myself.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
U.S. natural gas futures were lower but steadying after yesterday’s retreat on profit-taking, with the market seeing support in warmer weather moving deeper into June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
It was "as if someone was moving through and steadying themselves".
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
By Sunday, it becomes something quieter: nourishment for the week ahead, a small, steadying balm against the Sunday scaries.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
"We are getting mixed signals, with some key indicators showing signs of steadying while others are suggesting a weakening labor market," said New York Fed President John Williams on Monday.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
“Oh dear,” Swolt said, steadying his mount again.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
